Unraveller

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It’s wonderful that in a story about unravelling - curses, yes, but also the tangled webs of resentment and hate and pain - Frances Hardinge instead weaves a very complex and deeply nuanced tale with a whole onion-worth of layers. Moss hung in great, green-grey swathes from the branches. Everywhere there was the cold, lush smell of the woods with its undercurrent of rot, its fierce green freshness and the scent of a thousand marsh flowers gaping their fat silken petals in the summer dark. For fans of Natalie Haynes, Kiran Millwood-Hargrave and Neil Gaiman comes Frances Hardinge's spectacular novel Unraveller. Called her 'best yet' by the Guardian, and 'sheer perfection' and 'a masterpiece' by reviewers, Hardinge expertly weaves together mythology and mystery in a meticulously-detailed world besieged by curses. I loved the relationship and connection between Kellen and Nettle, I think this is the closest I've seen to a Queerplatonic relationship in any book, friendship isn't quite enough to describe the way they're bonded, but they're definitely not a romantic couple either. The rest aren’t bad people. They’re just desperate and wounded, putting their faith in the first person who told them they weren’t monsters.”

I expected nothing less from Frances Hardinge… Fairytale unique story, loveable characters, crazy imagination but also felt so interesting and addictive, those are all I got in “The Unraveller” Unraveller feels like a true fairytale, there may be wondrous creatures and mysterious forest settings, but there's also a Marsh Horse that may eat you and definitely a solid chance of being turned into a harp, a bat or a ship if you get on someone's bad side. It's very funny throughout, but balances that out with themes of grief, fear and rage. Unraveller ’s first third or so is taken up with a quest that Kellen and Nettle have almost no choice but to accept. Someone is freeing cursers, and a man named Gale and his terrifying marsh horse enlist Kellen for his skills. Where he goes, Nettle goes. But this is only half the story. Who is freeing cursers is not the right question. Why is much more important. The action is only a symptom, an indication that something is not right in Raddith.I loooved this world where hatred could make certain people develop a form of magic that could curse other people. The way the magic worked, what was done to them (or not), the firm the curses usually took ... it was rather wonderful (in a very dark and twisted way). Especially since it gave a unique perspective on greed, desire, revenge and the twisted forms love can take. Our main protagonist, Kellen, has a talent for unravelling curses. One day he meets Nettle and unravels her curse and they become close friends. But then Kellen discovers he’s become cursed. As Kellen and Nettle investigate his curse, they go on a journey where they discover secrets and lies and the truth about their friendship. Everything echoes down the webs. Even magical creatures have a thing or two to learn about human emotions. And even a carefully organized society can learn that it needs to change. With solid Discworld vibes, a complex, emotional friendship that doesn't become a romance and a series of chaotic events, I think this may be the best work Frances has ever produced. While most of her previous books felt more in the Middle Grade category, I think this story could easily appeal to adult fantasy readers.

The story itself follows Kellen, it's unruly protagonist, who has a rare and highly sought after gift. A gift that allows him to unravel (undo) the previously mentioned curses. We witness as he and his unusual companions, throw themselves deep into the unknown, in a bid to save those who have been cruelly jinxed and to bring down a unidentified enemy abetting those who curse. Of course, nothing is quite as it seems... I’m happy to say that Unraveller did indeed have all the magic I expected! Reading this aloud with my kids, I was again swept up in a story full of wonder and joy. But it also discussed the power of pain and anger and forgiveness, the consequences of keeping your anger and resentment close until it turns into something you’re unable to control. Once upon a time, he lifted a curse from a family of children who’d been turned into birds. One of them refused, remaining a gull. One did something terrible and has not recovered. And one is Nettle, who spent three years as a heron and is now Kellan’s shadow. Her past haunts her, and being human is unfamiliar and uncomfortable, but she is dogged and patient and watchful, and Kellen would not be as good at his work without her. In short and without giving anything away, what takes place is a captivating tale, set deep within a beautifully crafted world that as a reader, we slowly get to explore. The many mysteries in need of untangling, and the numerous twists and turns, make the story all the more enjoyable. My only complaint would be that I found it a *bit* to long - however, there was no way I wasn't finishing!

This wasn’t a perfect story for me. There were one too many side quests, so the plot did get a bit muddled in the middle for me. A more tightly edited story would have made this a 5 star read. Even if you didn’t dwell on the past, however, sometimes the past dwelt on you. Sometimes it remembered you and came after you for revenge.” Meglio ancora, la Hardinge (non per nulla, pluripremiata) riesce a trasmettere con un linguaggio accessibile e fresco dei messaggi che possono definirsi universali. Moreover, every person we meet was so unique. Some were infuriatingly self-righteous, some were true villains, others were victims of circumstances, there were unteachable idiots and cunning conspirators. In the middle of this varied group of people, we had two marvelously wonderful kids that had to grow up way to fast and are now trying to navigate heartbreak and danger without losing themselves in the middle of it all. Kellen is a young man with an uncanny gift: he can undo (unravel) curses. That's how he met Nettle. She and her siblings had been cursed by their stepmother and Kellen helped ... only Nettle didn't leave his side afterwards and now they are traveling this strange, hate-driven world together.